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Project Overview
LESA-USA is an organization dedicated to the education, health and welfare of women allover the world.
As its main project for the year 2005 through completion, the organization chose to build a new water
supply system for an all girls secondary school in West Africa Cameroon that is facing severe water shortage.
Inadequate supply of water due to changes is climatic conditions caused by global warming, and poor
conditions on account of obsolete water infrastructure is accounting for the deleterious health hazards that
are emerging in Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary School.
The cost for building the water supply is estimated at $200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand US Dollars). Being a privately
owned school in a region of the world that is facing economic crisis, the school management can not afford the
expenditures necessary to build a new water supply system in the school, yet is successful in providing first
class education with very little. Our organization believes that water is the most basic necessity for living, thus we are encouraged to
lead this program, which is designed to benefit and promote the interest of the girl child in Education and Health.
The current geographical focus of the LESA Water Project is Cameroon. LESA USA believes Africa, especially Cameroon, is
an area where our social responsibility efforts will align with our key platforms for giving: Children's Health, Development,
Education and Community Responsibility.
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Statement of Problem
Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary School is a boarding school located in Mankon, Bamenda with a student
population of 576 girls. The school is presently equipped with an independent water supply scheme.
The school, which is situated on a hill, receives its water supply from valley streams. The water is
pumped up the hill using generator and water pumps into a reservoir. Over the years, due to changes
in climate the streams have dried up, leaving the school, which will home to over 1000 female students
in 2005 between the ages of 10years and 17 years old, with a shortage of clean water. During the dry
season, the school suffers from water shortages due to the arid nature of the present sources. Every
attempt to connect to the network of the national water corporation (SNEC) has been futile due to technical
difficulties. Examples of such difficulties are the failure of the pumping system shortly after its connection
despite the exorbitant cost associated with it.
The diminishing yield of the water source is a consequence of the shortfalls of the present water system. This system
is composed of one spring catchments, a collection chamber, two circular tanks, a well with an automatic electric pump,
one water point and an old rectangular tank recently embarked for demolition. The spring catchments are the principal
source of water, but the yield decreases drastically during the dry season. Water from the well has to be pumped up
to the tanks to supplement the yield of the spring source. However water is still rationed, as the supply is inadequate
for routine demand. To further complicate this problem, the unprotected nature of the spring catchments is being
compromised by human activities, which have dangerously encroached into the immediate surrounding, within 50 m and
extended beyond 1900 m radii.
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Project Objectives
- Construction of an efficient and sustainable water system for adequate and pure water supply to meet the demands of a projected population of 1000 girls within the next three years.
- Construct a new sanitation facility. The current system consists of unhygienic pit latrines, insufficient dilapidated shower rooms and open-ended taps for laundry. An urgent need for a state of the art facility composed of practical private shower rooms, water flushable toilets and a modern laundry facility for students is imperative.
The success of objective (1) is highly dependent on careful and methodical implementation of field operations and
assessment of potential sources to harness water in accordance with the ardent needs of the school. For this purpose,
Integrated Engineering Associates (IEA), a local, dependable Engineering firm was assigned the assessment phase and
feasibility studies of the project. Within this time, six potential water sources including four springs namely,
Ntahgang, Abangoh, Mile 1 Upstation, the water point below the school well and two additional streams were
investigated. The two streams were eliminated as targets because they serve as sources that are being harnessed
for the national water corporation in Bamenda. Abangoh, Mile 1 Upstation and the water point below the school were
determined as redeemable sources for harnessing to achieve this goal. A detailed study has been made to determine
the appropriate technical specifications required for the infrastructure required.
Harnessing water from each of these sources will be evaluated thoroughly for its quality by testing for harmful microbes
and chemicals and ensuring the appropriate physical and chemical properties. Treatment plants will be set up and sample
aliquots collected from the inlets, outlets and consumption points of the treatment plants.
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LESA-USA's Involvement
How did LESA-USA decide to contribute money to the school, and how did it select which programs to fund?
And does LESA-USA raise funds to accomplish the water Project? The goal of our association is to improve
upon the quality of life of the students, current and future. The education of women is one of the most
effective development investments a country can make and this improves the educational prospects of the
next generation. The health of the woman also plays a vital role in society. This begins with basic things
like the water they drink and the kind of education they obtain to benefit the future generations.
This is why LESA-USA Inc., has decided to put in our best efforts to achieve the goal of health and education.
We also check with the principal of the school to make sure that the projects that we select are part of
the pressing needs of the school.
The effort of the LESA USA water project management group has achieved a couple of milestones. With the help
of the principal of Our Lady Of Lourdes Secondary School, Rev. Sister Ndidi Anozie, the Integrated Engineering
Association (ENI), was chosen to perform the feasibility study to bring clean running water to our Lady Of
Lourdes Secondary, Mankon Bamenda. ENI submitted a proposal for the Water Project, which LESA-USA, Inc.
uses to guide its implementation of this important project. The next phase of the project is the acquisition
of the identified water source, which includes a surrounding area of land to be fenced for the prevention of
human activity and encroachment into the water source.
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Make A DonationTo The Water Project
Donate By Mail :
Mail a check to:
LESA-USA Inc.
11209 Snowden Pond Rd.
Laurel, MD 20708
Make your check payable to LESA-USA, Inc.
Donate Online :
You can also donate online using your credit card via PayPal. Click on the icon below :
Water Project Contacts
USA Contact :
Leonie M Samuto
National President, LESA-USA
leonie_mpafe@hotmail.com
Cameroon Contact :
Rev Sister Ndidi
Principal, Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary School, Bamenda Cameroon.
ndidis10@yahoo.com
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Project Update
On behalf of LESA-USA, Inc., I would like to thank our donors for their contributions to the Lourdes Water Project.
We appreciate your generosity and continued support of LESA-USA goals to improve the education,
health and quality of life for the students of Our Lady of Lourdes secondary School, Cameroon,
through the provision of clean water and superior sanitary conditions.
LESA-USA, Inc. has been committed and successfully completed the LESA Water Project and
we owe it all to your contribution and continued support.
LESANS of the United States of America and all over the diaspora are solely indebted to you
our benevolent brothers, sisters, friends, children, parents, corporations and all who have
in any variety of ways, either monetary, by prayers, or by any other humanitarian action
opened your hearts to our ardent plea for water and sanitation for the students of Our Lady of Lourdes college.
We are proud and humbly joyful especially during this New Year 2010 to announce that our dream has indeed come true.
As we have just celebrated the coming of Christ during this joyous season, we humbly pray together as LESANS
for all our benefactors and ourselves that HE will grant to us the Grace and Peace of Christ’s greatness.
Your hard work and endless efforts can only be rewarded by our Almighty.
As you view the pictures, rest assured a small part of your heart has been shared with every student who benefits
from your enormous generosity.
We surpassed the thorns and navigated through the sweet smelling leaves to the pink roses..
Happy New Year to all and sundry
The following milestones have been accomplished during the years up to 2010
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